Paralogue 5: Wings of Justice
A boy with scruffy hair rides his pegasus through a field. Walking next to him is a girl, and they're traveling to a nearby town. As they chat on their way, the boy is constantly running his hand through his hair and tracing the scar on his forehead. ???: Kitty, your hair's starting to get a bit mussy. Should I handle that when we get settled down? Kitty: Nah, it's fine. Seriously, last time you did my hair was like a week ago. I don't need my haircare to be that constant. ???: Damn. Sorry that I'm bugging you. Kitty: Oh, you're not bugging me at all! ???: Really? Kitty: Of course. I appreciate how dedicated you are to fixing my hair. ???: It's what I love. Kitty: I can definitely tell. Don't ever change that. ???: Kitty? Kitty: Yes, Justice? Justice: Thanks for tagging along with me while I try to find my dad. Kitty: Hey, no problem! It's the least I can do for my best friend. Justice: Heh... Kitty: So you said he won't be too hard to find? Justice: Oh no, you'll know him the moment you see him. He'll be traveling with a huge group of people. He usually responds to— Kitty: Um, like that group of people? Kitty points to a, well, large group of people approaching over the horizon. Justice: They do not look like the Shepherds... The group surrounds the duo, weapons at the ready. Justice sits up straight on his pegasus, and brandishes a lance of his own. Justice: Who are you guys? Thug 1: Don't worry about us. You should be worried about yourselves. What are a couple of lovebirds doing out by themselves at a place like this? Kitty: Oh no, we are not lovebirds. Thug 1: Oh, a sassy one, eh? I think our leader will enjoy having her around. Justice: What are you saying...? Thug 2: I'm sure we could fetch a good price for her. The slave trade's always looking for spunky girls to break. Kitty: ...What? The group of thugs laughs and advances on the two. Justice nervously prepares to battle. Justice: You won't lay a finger on my friend as long as I'm around! The gang laughs once more and prepares to fight. Thug 3: Don't worry about the dude. The girl's who we want. Nelson will be so happy with us. Justice: Stop...ignoring me! For Naga! With a war cry, Justice charges at one of the thugs, only to be knocked from his pegasus by wind magic. He falls on the ground and hits his head hard. Kitty: Justice! As he loses consciousness and his stunned pegasus flies off in a frenzy, the gang takes Kitty away, leaving Justice to rot. ---- The Shepherds march along, their morale slightly higher than the last time. Julius walks with a bit of a limp, but otherwise, everyone is doing well, and Augustus' hard work has paid off. Everyone's mood seems more chipper thanks to his comedic performances. Danica: Dad, how are you doing? Julius: Still in a bit of pain, but I'll be up and at 'em in no time, promise. Danica: Whew. That's good to hear. Julius: Yep. I only hope you can handle yourself without me in the next battle. Danica: Oh trust me, I'll manage. Julius: That's good to hear. Florence: Hey Jimmy. Jimmy: Yeah? Florence: Have you been able to get through to Janice? Jimmy: Not really. Why? Florence: She seems...distant. I don't know what's wrong with her. Jimmy: I don't know. Maybe we're not what she expected. Florence: Oh man, I hope I didn't disappoint her too much. Should we try talking to her again? Jimmy: I dunno. She'll come to us, I think. Augustus: Yo, Janice! It's been a while! Janice: Eh, not really. I just saw you not too long ago. Jayde: What? How long have you been in this time? Janice: Same amount as you. Only a week or so. Jayde: What...? Janice, I've been stranded in this time period for the better part of a year. Spencer's been here for two years. Augustus: Danica and Bohl have told me they've been here for a couple of months each. Kelsie: If it helps, I've been running around for about six months. Janice: That's...bizarre. Augustus, how long have you been in this time? Augustus: A year or so. So same as you, Jayde. Janice: Oh great, so I'm the late one. Awesome. Kelsie: It sounds to me like Naga done fucked up. Bohl: Naga does as Naga sees to fit. Maybe the processing of time travel is hard for gods? Or mayhaps she meant for us to be apart. Spencer: Naga works in mysterious ways. Augustus: Mysteriously stupid ways. Joos: Our group of future children just keeps on growing, doesn't it? Knifez: Yeah, it does. I don't like it. Joos: Why not? Knifez: When people started getting hitched and everything, they started spending time with a lot fewer people. I feel like our tight-knit group has become nothing but several groups that just so happen to be traveling together. Families only really talk with families, etcetera. Joos: Hm, I disagree. I still do my best to spend time with everybody here. Knifez: You're head tactician, you have to. Sam: Heh, you don't seem to be helping much with that, mister “Hypothetically-Hitched.” Knifez: Er, uh, that's...different. Sam: Sure it is. Say, I wonder when he'll be meeting his future child. Knifez: Oh, please. As if I have enough time to be making children in any time frame. Green: If I have time to do it, so do you. Joos: I'm telling Chloe you're assuming things again. Green: Don't you dare! Joos: I'm gonna do it. Knifez: Hah, maybe the separation isn't as bad as I thought. Joos: I'm sure if you look around, you'll see it's not so bad. Meanwhile, Kayla and Anna speak to each other, tailed by someone shadowy... Kayla: So what is it we're doing, exactly? Anna: I told you, it's a surprise! Kayla: It's been a surprise for a very long time... Aloasa: What are you gals talking about? Kayla: EEK! Stop it already! Anna: Kayla, remember what I told you last time. Kayla: Oh right. Aloasa, stop trying to talk to me or else. Aloasa: Or else what? Suddenly, Kayla lets loose a shrill scream, as if she's being hurt. A flash of light and the blink of an eye later, Aloasa's being pinned to the ground by a transformed Signele. Signele: What did you do?! Aloasa: Oh my gods! I didn't do anything! Kayla's just being a brat! Signele: Don't hurt the small, adorable human on my watch, got it? Aloasa: Okay, okay! Let me up!! After hesitating a moment, Signele reverts back to her human form and allows Aloasa to stand, after which he quickly runs away. Kayla: Thanks so much, Signele. Signele: No problem. You know I've got your back. Suddenly, Pika spots something in the sky and readies her bow. Pika: Knifez, Sam, Joos. There's something coming, and fast. Knifez: Thanks Pika. I don't know what we'd do without your eagle-eyes. What is it? Pika: Looks like a pegasus knight. Should I shoot? Joos: No, of course not! Wait a moment. Let's see if their intentions are good before shooting them out of the sky. Pika: Damn. A wide-eyed pegasus lands in front of Knifez and stomps the ground frantically. Knifez: It's a...lone pegasus? Taylor: A pegasus! Oh my god, I don't think I've ever seen a wild one without a rider. It's so majestic... Bella: No, this thing definitely looks tamed. DJ: How do you figure? Chloe: I see what you mean, Bella. Look at this pegasus' mane. It's all braided. Bella: And its coat has way too much of a sheen. This thing is tamed. And very well-groomed. Chase: DJ, haven't you told me stories of Chloe braiding all of the royal horse's manes as a prank? DJ: Heh, yeah. She still does that sometimes. Joos: Okay, so it belongs to someone. Who? Sam: It seems frazzled. Maybe it lost its owner. Jayde: Oh, let me talk to it! Taylor: Wait...Taguel can talk to horses? Jayde: Not so much talk really, as...understand how they're feeling. Here, let me demonstrate. Hello, pretty boy! What's got you so bummed? Rachel: A boy horse with braids...? Green: I don't think pegasi really care one way or the other. Augustus: Is it just me, or does that pegasus look familiar? Spencer: Braided mane, well-kempt, shiny coat... Janice, what do you think? Janice: Yep, that's'' his horse alright. No doubt about it. ''A moment passes during which all chat in the Shepherds slowly ceases as they try to watch Jayde communicate with the horse. He whinnies and chatters at Jayde, who nods in understanding. She bites her lip and pats his head gently. Jayde: I see. Okay. Guys, this poor fella's rider got knocked out! He needs a healer fast. Grace: Oh no! Rachel: Let's go help them then! The pegasus nods and races off, allowing the Shepherds to follow. Rachel and Grace hitch rides on Jimmy's horse and Bella's pegasus respectively and it's not long at all before they happen upon a boy laying on the ground, limbs spread and eyes shut tight. The wind rustles his hair, allowing the occasional glimpse of a scar on his forehead. Grace: There he is. Rachel: Let's get to work. The two kneel down in front of him and start healing his injury. Grace: I'll handle this nasty looking scar on his forehead. Spencer: Don't bother. That one's been there for a long time. Rachel: You know him? Jayde: Yeah, we know him... Spencer: So what was that you said about settling for even Just— Jayde: You do NOT, under any circumstances, tell him I said that!! I swear Spencer, I'll kick your ass! Spencer: Your secret's safe with me. Danica: Oh dear, it looks like we found him. Julius: Who's he? Danica: You'll see. Finally, Rachel and Grace's healing has an effect and the boy starts to open his eyes. His vision skips over everyone present and lands on his pegasus immediately. Justice: Hope...? Hope! He jumps up and runs to his horse. He climbs on his back and looks around frantically. Justice: Kitty? Kitty! Where'd you go?! Oh god, they took her! Joos: Hey, calm down. What's going on? Justice: Hope, let's go! The thugs came from...that way, I think. So go there! The boy and his pegasus fly off, leaving a very confused group of Shepherds behind. Knifez: Well, that was weird. Should we keep moving? Janice: *sigh* No, he's with us. We've gotta help him. Spencer: That's Justice. He tends to do things without thinking them through or asking for help. He'll get himself killed if we let him go off on his own. Knifez: Oh god damn it. Alright, let's go help him. Moments later, Justice arrives at a thieves' hideout. It's a large, abandoned mansion in bad shape, and he can hear the chattering of thugs coming from inside. Justice: Alright, Hope. Kitty's in there, I'm sure of it. We need to rescue her. Are you ready? His pegasus whinnies nervously and in response, Justice drops everything to make sure Hope is brave enough to venture inside. In the time it takes to do that, the Shepherds manage to catch up. Joos: Gods, you're fast. Are you really expecting to take on this many enemies by yourself? I can tell that house is filled with bad guys. Justice: Hm? Oh, well...I'm going in anyways. My best friend is in there. She needs me. Sam: Are you even listening? You'll get slaughtered in there on your own! Justice: Doesn't matter. Without another word, Justice rides his pegasus into the hideout, leaving Sam to facepalm. Sam: Has he always been this difficult?! Janice: Yeah. Spencer: Oh yeah. Joos: Whatever. Go in after him. We're helping him whether he wants us to or not. The Shepherds storm the hideout, with Justice right in front of them. It take no time at all for Joos to see movement in the rafters. Joos: Watch out!! He slings a fire spell, illuminating the dark ceiling and knocking an archer from the rafters. The light reveals archers and wind magic users littering the shadows of the hideout, mostly above the Shepherds. Sam: They were prepared for this. Everyone with long-range options, get ready! Pegasus knights are extremely vulnerable to arrows and wind magic, so don't let them hit the boy! We need to take them out before they can take him out. Pika: Easier said than done. She and Dakota look at each other and nod. Everyone else who can manage long-range combat also readies their weapons. This means Joos, Sam, Pika, Dakota, Chloe, Maggie, Kayla, Aloasa, Anna, and Bohl are prepared to carry this battle. Bella, Green, Sarah, and Janice use their flying mounts to help out some too. Grace grabs a throwing axe and Jimmy grabs his javelins and they join in on the battle too. Keeping up with Justice and protecting him from projectiles proves stressful, and there are several points where Knifez almost decides to call his Shepherds back and let the kid die. One archer sets his sights on the flank of Justice's pegasus knight and lets his arrow fly. Joos sees the arrow at the last second and, having run out of options, jumps in the way of the arrow. When it hits, he lets out a pained yelp and falls to the ground. Jayde: Dad! Sam: Joos, are you alright? Joos: Urgh, this hurts like a motherfucker. While Sam isn't paying attention, another arrow from the same source suddenly punctures his back. Sam: Augh! Do something about him! Wordlessly, Pika draws an arrow and shoots it at the source of the two that hurt the tacticians. A cry of pain and the sound of a body hitting the ground can be heard, signaling the end of their attack. Knifez: Grace, trade throwing axes with Rachel and help our tacticians. Grace: Got it. Joos: Whoever-he-is isn't gonna wait around for us to get better. Everyone else go ahead and protect him. Pika: Sam, I'm not leaving you. Sam: Go! Pika: A-alright. Joos: We'll all be fine. Go. Sam: He's right. I'll be okay, Finally, Pika nods and runs off to catch up to the Shepherds. Justice continues storming the hideout, quickly taking out the few foot soldiers he does run into without any struggle whatsoever. Finally, he busts into a room and finds his friend Kitty, bound to a chair and surrounded by six thugs. One of them is more important looking than the others and sneers when he sees Justice. Nelson: So are you the pegasus knight my boys told me about when they brought this girl in? Justice: My name's Justice, and you're about to face my wrath. Unhand Kitty. Now. Nelson's five subordinates smile deviously and surround Justice. Nelson: And if we don't? Justice: I-I'm not scared of you. I'll do whatever it takes to save Kitty. While the thugs intimidate and threaten Justice, Dakota sneaks past them and quietly cuts the ropes tying Kitty down. He puts his finger over his mouth and, when Kitty nods, frees her mouth. He motions for her to follow Rachel out of the hideout and, when they're gone, gives Knifez a thumbs up. As they rush out, Rachel quizzes Kitty. Rachel: So how do you know Justice? Kitty: He's been my best friend for a long time now. We're traveling all over the place looking for his dad. He really wants to find him. Rachel: Oh, I see. Well today he might have found him. Kitty: Oh yay! I'm so happy for Justice! Rachel: So are you two together or...? Kitty: Oh no, not at all. I'm not into guys. Rachel: Fair enough. Perchance, did Justice tell you his father's name? Kitty: Oh yeah, of course he did. He says his dad is... Meanwhile, Nelson's party is about to be crashed. Knifez: Hey! Nelson: What do you want? Knifez: You might wanna check on that hostage situation of yours. Nelson takes a slow look toward Kitty's chair to see it empty. Nelson: What?! Dakota: I'm a master thief. I steal things, including people. Especially people who've already been stolen. Nelson: Grrr...men! Kill every last one of them! The criminals lunge at the Shepherds. The small space means there's only room for one flying unit and a couple of other Shepherds. This means Justice, Knifez, Chase, and Dakota are outumbered by Nelson and his men. This doesn't mean they're outmatched though. Chase duels with two attackers, struggling to handle their constant barrage. Knifez and Dakota each take one opponent while Nelson and another attacker gang up on Justice. Knifez runs his opponent through and moves on to help Chase out. Dakota quickly takes out his attacker and stealthily gets the drop on the other rogue attacking Justice. Chase starts to get overwhelmed and one of his attackers kicks his sword away, causing it to stick in the wall. Chase stumbles back, only to get his back slashed by the second thug attacking him. He falls to his knees, but before the criminals can finish him off Knifez swoops in and stabs the one who managed to disarm Chase. Dakota takes care of the other one and helps Chase to his feet. Dakota: How are you doing? Chase: Ugh, I feel kinda useless, to be frank with you. Dakota: Let me take you to a healer. Chase: Thanks... Anna: I have a staff handy. Chase: Thanks Anna. This leaves Justice, fighting Nelson one-on-one. His pegasus would outmaneuver his opponent, but the small space means Justice is only bigger of a target. Nelson's expertise with a sword is almost too much for Justice, but not when he decides to mix it up. Finally, when it seems Nelson is too much to handle, Justice vaults from his pegasus and does a flip above Nelson's head. When he lands, Nelson is too confused to react, leading to Justice's lance running him through. When Justice extracts his lance, he kicks Nelson to the ground and lets him bleed out. Justice: Don't mess with my best friend. Ever. Once the Shepherds are out of the hideout, they meet up with Rachel, Sam, Joos and Kitty. Upon seeing his friend, Justice hops off his pegasus and runs to give her a hug. Justice: Kitty! I was so worried about you. Did they hurt you? Kitty: Not at all. I'm glad you came to save me. Danica: Aw, young love. Justice: Shut it, Danica. Kitty's just my best friend. She's like my sister. Kitty: He's right. However, you're looking pretty good. Danica, was it? Danica: ...Oh. Rachel: Knifez...we need to talk. Knifez: What is it? Signele: Joos, are you okay? Joos: I'm good. That arrow grazed a rib, so I'll be hurting in that area for a while. That shit sucks. Signele: At least you'll be okay!! And what about you, Sam? Sam: I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking. Knifez: Wait...what? Rachel: Yeah... Knifez: Alright, let's sort this out. Rachel and Knifez approach Justice and Kitty. Knifez: So, I'm told you're with Spencer's crew. Justice: Yes sir... Knifez: And you're looking for a father you've never met? Justice: Yes. Is he...here? Knifez: I don't know, do you know his name? Justice: His name's Knifez. Please don't tell me I was too late. Knifez: I see. Well...I'd like to say hello. My name's Knifez. Rachel: And I'm Rachel. Your...mom, I guess. Knifez holds out his hand for a handshake, but everything is quiet for a moment, as Justice's eyes widen and start to tear up. He takes a shaky breath before jumping into his father's arms. Knifez, who is not ready for a hug, falls to the ground under Justice's weight. Justice: Father!! I've been looking for you for so long... Spencer: How long have you been in this time...? Justice: I've been searching for five years... Spencer: Holy shit. Justice: Dad... I thought I was too late to save you. Knifez: Hey, it's alright. We're all fine. Rachel: Did you not know me or...? Justice: I-I'm sorry mom. I knew you for a little bit, but you were so...different after dad... *sob* Rachel: It's alright. We'll talk about it later. Let's get moving first. Knifez: Let's get Kitty here back to a town of some sort. We can't just leave her out here on her own. Kitty: Thanks. I was honestly thinking you guys forgot about me for a bit... Justice: I could never! The Shepherds walk Kitty back to town and leave Justice to say goodbye to her. Justice: So what are you going to do now? Kitty: I'm not sure. My whole life for the past couple of years has been about finding your father, so now that you have, I might just settle down here. Find a nice girl, you know... Justice: That sounds good. I promise I'll come visit you, okay? When we're done saving the world or whatever. Kitty: Hee hee, well congratulations on finding your father at last. Now go save the world. Or whatever, my hero. She gives Justice a kiss on the cheek and turns to venture into the town they were traveling to in the first place. After Justice rejoins the Shepherds, they start to get a move on. Justice: So dad...I was pretty cool out there today, wasn't I? Knifez: Yeah, definitely. The way you leapt off your pegasus like that was especially impressive. Justice: This is off to a great start! Knifez: I'm glad you think so...I guess? > PARALOGUE 8: THE LYIN' KING < SUPPORTS Current Party The Shepherds *Knifez. Great Lord. Captain of the Shepherds and Prince of Waydrn. Treats his men firmly but fairly. *Grace. War Cleric. An affectionate and cheeky Shepherd with a possessive streak. *Joos. Grandmaster. A traveler with no memory of the past, but a gift for tactics. *Sam. Grandmaster. The Shepherds' original, no-nonsense Tactician. *Florence. Great Lord. A Shepherd and Knifez's sister. Always ready to lend an ass-kicking. *Jimmy. Great Knight. A quiet Shepherd who knows exactly when to get to work. *Pika. Sniper. A peppy Shepherd, always ready to follow her Tactician's command *Dakota. Assassin. A formidable Waydrnite thief with a grim outlook on things. *DJ. Swordmaster. A noble from Frar who knows his way around a sword. *Chloe. Valkyrie. The downright kindest Noble Frar ever did see. *Green. Wyvern Knight. A funloving Tostian dracoknight. Has a penchant for stabbing first and asking questions later. *Bella. Falcon Knight. A Tostian “noble” whose love of her country is rivaled only by her love of her horse. *Chase. Mercenary. A Sellsword with a love of tall tales and romance. *Signele. Taguel. Last surviving inhabitant of The Domain. Also a giant bunny sometimes. *Julius. Dancer. A gifted dancer with a flair for philandering and caffeine. *Maggie. Manakete. An innocent Manakete with a penchant for theatrics. *Sarah. Wyvern Rider. A gifted Wyvern Rider who prefers the term "realistic." *Kayla. Mage. A hyperactive mage who can't wait to prove herself as more than just a kid. *Aloasa. Dark Mage. A dour Tostian with a knack for curses and hovering. *Anna. Trickster. A world-traveling merchant who loves money and big spenders. *Rachel. War Cleric. Constantly picks fights, but is better at healing than punching. *Heroi. Mercenary. Really good at what he does, but goes unnoticed until he's gone. *Joanne. Cavalier. A quiet knight who waits for the perfect moment to speak up. *Daniel. Hero. A Frarian warrior who hopes for the best but expects the worst. *Taylor. Knight. A horse-loving girl who's incidentally really bad at riding horses. Future Children *Spencer. Myrmidon. An enigmatic man who thirsts for a better world. *Danica. Trickster. A cunning, flirty girl who could rob even the greatest thieves blind. *Bohl. Mage. An confusing youth with incredible intelligence and not so great speech patterns. *Jayde. Taguel. A hyperactive Taguel obsessed with the goal of making the species thrive. *Kelsie. Troubadour. A lazy, adopted child who was given everything before the world burned. *Augustus. Fighter. A fun-loving warrior with sharp wit and even sharper axes. *Janice. Wyvern Rider. A rebellious Wyvern Rider with more love for her wyvern than herself. *Justice. Pegasus Knight. A nervous boy whose top priority is exceeding his father's expectations. Information *This paralogue was originally posted to the Total Drama Writers' Forum here. Category:Story Category:Paralogues